A recent Gallup poll found that union approval is at the highest rate it has been since 1965, with 68% of Americans saying they approve of labor unions. From October 2021 through March 2022, the National Labor Relations Board reported ...
Read More »Whistleblower’s constructive discharge claim can’t go forward
A recent decision from the Massachusetts Appeals Court highlights how hard it is for an employee suing for constructive discharge to prove that they had no other option except for resigning. Constructive discharge occurs when an employee resigns because the ...
Read More »Pending bill would ban hairstyle discrimination at work
Employees would be protected from discrimination based on natural hair and hairstyles associated with race and national origin, under a measure that has been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is called, “The Creating a Respectful and ...
Read More »Business groups fighting expected DOL overtime regs
Under an upcoming new overtime rule, the U.S. Department of Labor is expected to propose higher white-collar salary level thresholds, which means that more employees would become eligible for overtime pay under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Experts ...
Read More »EEOC, DOJ warn about disability discrimination with AI
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) have each released a technical assistance document discussing potential disability discrimination when employers use artificial intelligence (AI) and other software tools to make employment decisions. Employers are ...
Read More »New guidance for Massachusetts PFML
Beginning in January of last year, Massachusetts employees became eligible for a new state-sponsored benefit that provides up to 26 weeks of job protected leave for medical and family reasons. Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) is separate from the federal ...
Read More »Terminated employee awarded 3x late-paid wages
Terminating an employee in Massachusetts? Have a check in hand. That’s the takeaway from a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruling that recently awarded an employee triple damages for late payment of some accrued benefits. When Beth Reuter was terminated ...
Read More »Tips for employee background checks
Many employers rely on background checks when making important hiring decisions. In doing so, they need to comply with a patchwork of local, state, and federal laws. While federal law does not generally bar criminal background checks, state and local ...
Read More »Supervisor authority at issue in Delta case
A former Delta flight attendant has lost her bid to sue the airline over an alleged sexual assault by a pilot. The plaintiff argued that the airline was liable because the pilot was a supervisor, but a federal district court ...
Read More »DOJ takes tougher stance on white collar crime
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced it’s taking a tougher stance on corporate wrongdoing and white collar crime. Messages from the DOJ indicate that the agency is stepping up enforcement in virtually all areas of white collar crime. Two ...
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